In The Spotlight--Baker's Dozen: 13 Films To Watch For This Fall

It’s summer and that means Silly Season is upon us. Sequels abound, Apes and Ninja Turtles are once again primed to cause box office wreckage and there’s something called “The Fluffy Movie” on the horizon so it’s never too early to look ahead to the time when the summer dust settles and moviegoers can finally sink their teeth into some serious fare. The following 13 films are not necessarily the best films for the rest of the year nor are they necessarily the most anticipated. But let’s have some fun and see if we can uncover some cinematic gems. In no particular order…

WHAT: CAMERON CROWE UNTITLEDWHEN: December 25thWHO: Uh Cameron Crowe, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, Jay Baruchel, John KrasinskiWHY: If only because the guy’s done three of my favorite movies, “Almost Famous, “Say Anything” and the underappreciated “We Bought A Zoo”. Plus that’s one of the best casts for the holidays.

WHAT: ST. VINCENTWHEN: October 24thWHO: Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd, Terrence HowardWHY: Bill Murray stars as a hedonistic, bawdy, misanthropic war veteran who befriends a young boy living next door to him in Van Nuys, CA. Bill Murray and hedonistic, bawdy and misanthropic should ALWAYS be mentioned in the same sentence.

WHAT: ELEANOR RIGBYWHEN: September 26thWHO: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoyWHY: Cannes screening reaction for this relationship drama was exceptional and the pairing feels like it’ll rock.

WHAT: THE EQUALIZERWHEN: September 26thWHO: Denzel Washington, Chloe Grace Moretz, Melissa LeoWHY: This is one of the best action scripts I’ve ever read, both smart and exciting, and if there was ever anyone who could replace Edward Woodward in my mind as Robert McCall, Denzel is it.

WHAT: THE GREEN INFERNOWHEN: September 5thWHO: Eli Roth, need I say more?WHY: If you weren’t paying attention, it’s Eli Roth dammit. The “Hostel” and “Cabin Fever” director has taken a six year hiatus from the helmer’s chair. Check out the trailer to understand he obviously hasn’t lost his touch. And yes, “horrifying” is indeed spelled with two r’s.

WHAT: WILDWHEN: December 5thWHO: Jean-Marc Vallee, Reese WitherspoonWHY: I will admit to not being the biggest Reese fan but I will admit this looks intriguing. The book’s author, Cheryl Strayed spent a summer hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, from Southern California to the southern border of Washington State, after her mother’s death and her own drug addiction. This is Jean-Marc Vallee’s follow up to “Dallas Buyers Club”, just for good measure.

WHAT: BIRDMANWHEN: October 17thWHO: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Amy RyanWHY: All I know about the film is the synopsis, which reads, ” A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory”. For some reason I’m envisioning “A Chorus Line” meets “Jonah Hex” yet somehow I’m intrigued.

WHAT: THE DROPWHEN: September 12thWHO: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James GandolfiniWHY: Sadly, it’s the final time to see one of the greatest actors of our time, James Gandolfini, on screen.

WHAT: IMITATION GAMEWHEN: November 21stWHO: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Charles DanceWHY: A) I’d watch Benedict Cumberbatch act out a grocery list (“Watson, Cheese Nips!”) and B) I was forced to read “Breaking The Enigma” about cracking the Nazi codes in WWII in my prep school Modern European History class so I’m looking forward to sounding unusually intelligent about the film’s subject matter.

Comments

"Green Inferno" should be interesting. I'm not sure anyone can ever live up to Ruggero Deodato's legendary exploitation flick, "Cannibal Holocaust," which is the obvious inspiration for Eli Roth's movie, but I'm hoping Roth gets at least a nice homage out of it.